In this article we are going to list the 20 best countries to live and work in 2021. Of course, this is often not applicable for most people, especially those living in poverty as there are costs associated with moving as well as other considerations, but many people in jobs which have a strong demand in not just their country but globally want to move to places with better opportunities as well as a better standard of living.
Go back a century or even less and most of the top jobs that are available today didn’t even exist. Jobs tended to be specialized to their specific locality and traveling large distances could take much longer. Further, the lack of technology meant flexible working hours or even remote working weren’t even an idea in people’s minds as their application seemed so utterly impossible.
Add to this the fact that the pandemic has completely changed the world as we know it in less than a year. It has now been over a year since a global pandemic was declared, one which often shows signs of abating before rearing its head once more and attacking even more viciously than before. To contain the spread of the virus and the devastation caused by it, most countries have been engaging in lockdowns, on and off depending on the rate of the spread of the virus, which means that most people have either been working from home or not working at all, leading to tens of millions of jobs cuts in just the United States, with many other countries faring just as bad if not worse, even as most countries entered recessions or depression due to economic downturns.
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However, one thing that Covid-19 may have done is to ensure that new ways of working are embraced by everyone. As most people had to resort to working from home, many companies realized that this might be an excellent idea to employ even when there isn’t a pandemic forcing everyone to stay indoors. Flexible timings are also becoming a thing across the world, at least in environments where delivering the task is more important than working 8 or 9 hours a day. Of course, remote working isn’t possible for those working in the field or in factories, just like flexible timing isn’t possible for those working in shifts in the service industry.
However, for a vast majority of people working in companies in departments such as finance and especially IT, remote working can easily become a way of life. Learning from the pandemic experience, when lockdowns forced companies to find ways to facilitate remote work, many companies, especially tech giants like Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB).
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has adopted a hybrid work policy, where some people will be working from home and others from the office. To facilitate this, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has started to make some changes in their offices such as providing hardware in conference rooms to facilitate joining meetings online. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) said it won’t require workers to come back to the offices even after the pandemic ends, allowing full-time remote work if employees choose to do so. Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO), whom Fortune magazine named the best company to work for in 2021, went even further and not only delayed planned layoffs amid the pandemic, but also extended pay and benefits and focused on employees’ well-being.
On the other hand, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), which had to keep most of its staff on-site, as they are working at fulfillment centers, has said recently that it expects all US corporate office employees to come back to their workplaces in fall. In Europe, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) corporate employees might return to the offices later given the slower vaccination rates.
What should also be kept in mind that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO), as well as many other companies have an international presence and their offices across the world are considered some of the best in those countries to work in. Another company, which is commonly known as having some of the best offices across the world is Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL). As we go through our list of best countries to live and work in 2021, we’ll also mention which companies have a presence there, to help you choose.
Even now, many countries are offering attractive packages to lure people working remotely to move to such places and continue working from there, including Dubai and Maldives. However, many people are also interested in moving to other countries because of a better quality of life, better income and better standards of living. After all, if you live in a country where even after earning a decent salary, you need to save at least 3 month’s worth of salary to enjoy a half decent no-frills vacation, the why wouldn’t you want to move somewhere where you could earn a lot more?
This is what brings us to our rankings of the best countries to live and work in. We mention both living and working since both of these areas are intrinsic to enjoying life. If you have an excellent job in a country or city where there is little to no infrastructure, poor security and widespread corruption, you still won’t be happy. On the other hand, if you live in a country with a high standard of living, but have a dead end job with no scope of growth, no feeling of making a difference and a poor salary to go along with the rest, trust me, it will still not seem worth it, which is why work and living have to work in tandem.
To determine the best countries to live and work in 2021, we referred to a study by BlackTower FM, where we used the statistics provided by the study to calculate our own rankings based on the country’s happiness, monthly salary, cost of living index, property price to income ratio and quality of healthcare. So without further ado, sit back and start researching on how to move to these countries if you are so inclined, starting with number 20:
20. Canada
World Happiness ranking: 7.278
Average monthly salary: $2,700
Cost of living index: 67.62
Property price to income ratio: 7.97
Quality of healthcare: 71.58
We start off with Canada, which is one of the most economically and politically stable countries in the world, and is always ready to welcome more immigrants if they have the qualifications that the country is looking for. Canada has many large cities that offer excellent opportunities for work and living, such as Toronto, where Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s Google is currently building a huge 18-storey office.
19. United States of America
World Happiness ranking: 6.892
Average monthly salary: $3,900
Cost of living index: 71.05
Property price to income ratio: 3.52
Quality of healthcare: 69.27
Home to some of the biggest companies in the world including Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and many others. However, it is important to note the massive wealth disparity in the country, which may be a turnoff and one of the main reasons that puts the US only on the 19th spot in the list of best countries to live and work in 2021
18. South Korea
World Happiness ranking: 5.895
Average monthly salary: $2,600
Cost of living index: 78.18
Property price to income ratio: 17.31
Quality of healthcare: 81.97
South Korea is home to some major tech giants such as Samsung, one of the biggest companies in the world, and is one of the most developed countries by far in Asia.
Pixabay/Public domain
17. United Kingdom
World Happiness ranking: 7.054
Average monthly salary: $2,700
Cost of living index: 67.28
Property price to income ratio: 10.09
Quality of healthcare: 74.46
While massively affected by the pandemic, the UK is still one of the best countries to live and work in 2021, with London one of the biggest business centers in the world, and hosts a lot of huge companies. Additionally, being one of the top global economies, means that there are a lot of companies that would be happy to welcome you as their employee including these some of the fastest growing UK companies.
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16. Germany
World Happiness ranking: 6.985
Average monthly salary: $3,000
Cost of living index: 65.26
Property price to income ratio: 9.38
Quality of healthcare: 73.32
Germany is one of the strongest economies in Europe, and the world as well. It is known for its manufacturing sector and automobile sector, as well as strong labor laws.
canadastock/Shutterstock.com
15. Ireland
World Happiness ranking: 7.021
Average monthly salary: $3,000
Cost of living index: 75.91
Property price to income ratio: 7.49
Quality of healthcare: 51.89
Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) was ranked as the best company to work for in Ireland, and Dublin is the best possible city to move to in Ireland. Additionally’s Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) have some of their nicest offices located in Dublin.
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14. Austria
World Happiness ranking: 7.246
Average monthly salary: $2,650
Cost of living index: 70.38
Property price to income ratio: 10.88
Quality of healthcare: 78.73
Next in line in our list of best countries to live and work in 2021 is Austria. This landlocked European country is an incredibly popular tourist destination, as well as a perfect city for expats to move to.
Pixabay/Public Domain
13. France
World Happiness ranking: 6.592
Average monthly salary: $2,700
Cost of living index: 74.14
Property price to income ratio: 13.04
Quality of healthcare: 79.99
France is one of the most visited countries in the world as well as one of the most economically developed countries with some big companies operating here, including Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), one of the biggest biotech companies in the world. That’s why France ranks 13th in our list of best countries to live and work in 2021.
12. Japan
World Happiness ranking: 5.886
Average monthly salary: $2,900
Cost of living index: 83.35
Property price to income ratio: 13
Quality of healthcare: 81.14
One of the most, if not the most, developed countries in Asia and in fact the world, is Japan, with some of the biggest tech companies operating there such as Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL).
Pixabay/Public domain
11. New Zealand
World Happiness ranking: 7.307
Average monthly salary: $3,000
Cost of living index: 72.53
Property price to income ratio: 8.52
Quality of healthcare: 73.81
New Zealand is known for its excellent governance which has raised the standards of living for its citizens even further and hence, earned a place in the list of the best places to live and work in 2021.
10. Sweden
World Happiness ranking: 7.343
Average monthly salary: $3,100
Cost of living index: 69.83
Property price to income ratio: 9.27
Quality of healthcare: 69.23
Sweden is home to a thriving job market, especially in Stockholm and has rich culture in addition to a high standard of living.
Stockholm, Sweden
9. Australia
World Happiness ranking: 7.228
Average monthly salary: $3,900
Cost of living index: 73.53
Property price to income ratio: 7.52
Quality of healthcare: 73.54
Australia has been one of the most successful countries to combat Covid-19, and has a quite high basic average income.
8. Israel
World Happiness ranking: 7.139
Average monthly salary (in GBP): $2,700
Cost of living index: 81.15
Property price to income ratio: 12.83
Quality of healthcare: 73.29
Israel has been a major recipient of aid from the United States, which has led to the small country becoming quite advanced. Its own citizens have a lot of opportunities, and is a great place to move to, as long as you’re fine with the country’s policy of destroying homes and lives of Palestinians.
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7. Netherlands
World Happiness ranking: 7.488
Average monthly salary: $3,200
Cost of living index: 73.75
Property price to income ratio: 7.51
Quality of healthcare: 74.65
Talk about the Netherlands and people only think about Amsterdam. Talk about Amsterdam and people only think about weed and the red light district. However, it is much more and easily one of the best places to move to if it’s possible.
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6. Finland
World Happiness ranking: 7.769
Average monthly salary: $3,200
Cost of living index: 70.38
Property price to income ratio: 8.35
Quality of healthcare: 75.79
Finland is one of the best places to live and work in 2021 especially if you want to maintain an extremely decent work life balance.
Copyright: scanrail / 123RF Stock Photo
5. Iceland
World Happiness ranking: 7.494
Average monthly salary: $3,200
Cost of living index: 100.48
Property price to income ratio: 6.74
Quality of healthcare: 65.92
The Nordic country may only have a population of 350,000 people, with the majority of the company untouched by humans and is one of the most incredible countries you could ever visit. Iceland also has high average monthly income for its residents.
4. Singapore
World Happiness ranking: 6.262
Average monthly salary: $3,900
Cost of living index: 81.1
Property price to income ratio: 22.31
Quality of healthcare: 70.84
The business hub of the world has changed drastically over the years and now represents its image of being a global financial center, where many major companies across the world maintain offices. It does have a high cost of living though, and is particularly regressive against the LGBT community, which are considerations to think about before moving there.
3. Denmark
World Happiness ranking: 7.6
Average monthly salary: $4,000
Cost of living index: 83
Property price to income ratio: 7.45
Quality of healthcare: 80
The Scandinavian country ranks third in our list of best places to live and work in 2021, with its excellent quality of life, great job opportunities and high stability and security.
Copyright: scanrail / 123RF Stock Photo
2. Norway
World Happiness ranking: 7.554
Average monthly salary: $3,600
Cost of living index: 101.43
Property price to income ratio: 8.77
Quality of healthcare: 74.36
It is not surprising to see Nordic companies making this list and Norway is the best of them all, with its riches coming from its vast oil resources, which is has used well to create an extremely high standard of living as well as healthy job employment.
1. Switzerland
World Happiness ranking: 7.48
Average monthly salary: $6,800
Cost of living index: 122.4
Property price to income ratio: 8.68
Quality of healthcare: 72.44
Topping the list of the best countries to live and work in 2021 is Switzerland, which is known for having the highest minimum wage in the world. It is also one of the most beautiful countries in the world, as well as being known for its extremely high standards of living, though the potential downside is the fact that is has one of the highest costs of living globally too.
See also: 15 Easiest Office Jobs to Get With No Experience and 10 good paying jobs for 18 year olds with no experience required
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- 15 Countries With Highest Standard of Living in 2020
Disclosure: None. 20 best countries to live and work in 2021 is originally published at Insider Monkey.
